In automotive vehicles having independent wheel suspension systems, there typically is provided a sway bar link that interconnects the lower control arm of the suspension system and an end of the sway bar. Typically, such links have consisted of an elongated bolt with end portions adapted to extend through a pair of aligned openings in the lower control arm and an end of the sway bar, a spool provided on the center portion of such bolt, a pair of resilient, inner grommets each mounted on the bolt between the spool and one of the members being connected, a pair of resilient, outer grommets each mountable on such bolt exteriorly of one of the members being connected and means provided on the ends of the bolt, usually a head portion of the bolt and a nut threaded on an opposite end of the bolt, for retaining the assembly together.
Usually, the components of such an assembly are produced by one or more vendors, shipped to an automotive manufacturer as loose components or a combination of loose components and partially assembled components and then installed by assemblers of vehicles being manufactured. In the past, it has been found that the supply of such assemblies by vendors to the automotive companies resulted not only in inefficiencies in the assembly of the various components but also in inefficiencies in the shipment of them. In the prior art, various improvements have been made in the design of such assemblies and the components thereof not only to reduce the number of components required but to assemble such components in a manner that facilitated both the handling in shipping and final installation of the assemblies. It further has been found, however, that such assemblies developed in the prior art are still too complicated in design, requiring an inordinate number of components, being cumbersome to assemble, package and ship and being unwieldy to install. Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a link assembly of the type described which is simple in design, comprises the least number of components, may be compactly assembled for shipment and may easily be handled to facilitate installation in the suspension system of a vehicle being manufactured. It further is an object of the present invention to provide a novel grommet adapted for use in such assemblies which is comparatively simple in design, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and lends itself to efficient handling in shipping such assemblies from a vendor or vendors to an automotive manufacturer and installing such components in the suspension systems of vehicles.